The Princess of Wales [Ian Jones, Wikimedia Commons (CC by 2.0) detail]

THE private hospital used by the Princess of Wales is being investigated by the government’s privacy watchdog over an alleged patient records breach.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was looking at whether the London Clinic, Marylebone, delayed notifying the body about the claims beyond its 72-hour deadline.

It comes amid a storm of interest in the future queen’s recovery from surgery and weeks-long absence from public life.

The ICO said in a statement on Wednesday: “We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.”

Newspapers have reported that at least one staff member tried to access Catherine’s medical records while she was a patient there for 13 nights in January.

Junior health minister Maria Caulfield said on Wednesday it was “pretty severe and serious stuff to be accessing notes that you don’t have permission to”.

Police had also “been asked to look at” whether staff attempted to access Catherine’s private medical records, Ms Caulfield added.

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, it is an offence to obtain, disclose or retain personal data without the consent of the data controller.

The ICO can carry out criminal investigations and prosecute individuals where it believes an offence may have been committed.

The hospital’s chief executive, Al Russell, said: “Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality.

“We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.”